Method and device for quantizing the input to soft decoders

1. Method for processing a received signal, the signal being received from a dynamically fading channel, the method comprising the steps of: detecting the fading characteristics of said fading channel; determining a quantization correction command for at least one segment of said received signal; quantizing said at least one segment according to said quantization correction command, thereby producing a quantized signal; and decoding said quantized signal, wherein said step of decoding said quantized signal is performed while taking into account said quantization correction command with respect to said at least one segment.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of demodulating said received signal.

3. The method according to step 1, wherein said step of detecting comprises the sub-steps of: estimating the RMS of said received signal; and computing the minimal and maximal quantities of the samples of said received signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of determining comprises the sub-step of estimating a preferred RMS value.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of normalizing said received signal according to said preferred RMS value.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of detecting comprises the following sub-steps: estimating the RMS of said received signal, thereby producing an Estimated.sub.-- RMS value, and estimating channel tap values h[n] from said received signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step of determining comprises the following sub-steps: calculating .THETA..sub.min and .THETA..sub.max values, wherein .THETA.[n].ident..vertline.Real{h[n]}.vertline.+.vertline.Imag{h[n]}.vertl ine..THETA..sub.max .ident.max.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and .THETA..sub.min .ident.Min.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and determining a desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- fade value from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n].

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of normalizing said samples.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of determining comprises the following sub-steps: calculating .THETA..sub.min and .THETA..sub.max values, wherein .THETA.[n].ident..vertline.Real{h[n]}.vertline.+.vertline.Imag{h[n]}.vertl ine., .THETA..sub.max .ident.Max.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and .THETA..sub.min .ident.Min.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and determining a desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- fade value from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n] and wherein said step of normalizing is performed according to the following expression: ##EQU8## wherein Y[n] denotes a pre-quantized value of a selected sample and Y[n] denotes a normalized pre-quantized value of said selected sample.

10. The method according to either of claims 7 and 9, wherein said desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- fade value is determined from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n] according to a look-up table having .THETA..sub.max -.THETA..sub.min at its input and Desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- Fade at its output.

11. In a receiver which includes a signal reception unit, a demodulator and a decoder, the receiver receiving a signal from a dynamically fading channel, the demodulator demodulating said received signal thereby producing a demodulated signal, a quantizing device comprising: a channel fading detection unit, connected to said signal reception unit, for detecting the fading characteristics of said dynamically fading channel; a processor, connected to said channel fading detection unit, for processing said fading characteristics, thereby producing a correction command for at least one segment of said received signal; a quantizing unit connected to said processor, said demodulator and said decoder, for quantizing said demodulated signal, thereby producing a quantized signal, wherein said quantizing unit also corrects said at least one segment according to said correction command; wherein said decoder decodes said quantized signal, and wherein said processor provides said correction command to said decoder and said decoder decodes said quantized signal according to said correction command.

12. The quantizing device according to claim 11, wherein said processor determines said correction command by calculating .THETA..sub.min and .THETA..sub.max values, wherein .THETA.[n].ident..vertline.Real{h[n]}.vertline.+.vertline.Imag{h[n]}.vertl ine., .THETA..sub.max .ident.Max.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and .THETA..sub.min .ident.Min.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and subsequently determining a desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- fade value from .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n].

13. The quantizing device according to claim 12, wherein said desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- fade value is determined from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n] according to a look-up table having .THETA..sub.max -.THETA..sub.min at its input and Desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- Fade at its output.

14. In a receiver which includes a signal reception unit, a demodulator, a quantizing unit and a decoder, the receiver receiving a signal from a dynamically fading channel, the demodulator demodulating said received signal thereby producing a demodulated signal, a fading compensation device comprising: a channel fading detection unit, connected to said signal reception unit, for detecting the fading characteristics of said dynamically fading channel; a processor, connected to said channel fading detection unit, for processing said fading characteristics, thereby producing a correction command for at least one segment of said received signal; a correction unit, connected to said processor, said demodulator and said quantizing unit, for correcting the demodulated segment corresponding to said at least one segment according to said correction command, thereby producing a corrected segment, wherein said correction unit replaces said demodulated segment with said corrected segment at the input of said quantizing unit, and wherein said processor determines said correction command by calculating .THETA..sub.min and .THETA..sub.max values, wherein .THETA.[n].ident..vertline.Real{h[n]}.vertline.+.vertline.Imag{h[n]}.vertl ine., .THETA..sub.max .ident.Max.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and .THETA..sub.min .ident.Min.sub.n {.THETA.[n]56 , and subsequently determining a desired RMS fade value from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n].

15. The quantizing device according to claim 14, wherein said desired .sub.-- RMS.sub.-- fade value is determined from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n] according to a look-up table having .THETA..sub.max -.THETA..sub.min at its input and Desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- Fade at its output.

16. The fading compensation device, according to claim 14, wherein said processor is further connected to said decoder, thereby providing said correction command to said decoder for decoding the quantized representation of said corrected segment with respect to said correction command.

17. A receiver comprising: a signal reception unit, for receiving a signal from a dynamically fading channel; a demodulator, connected to said signal reception unit, for demodulating said received signal, thereby producing a demodulated signal therefrom; a quantizing processor, connected to said demodulator and to said signal reception unit, for analyzing said received signal and for quantizing said demodulated signal thereby producing a quantized signal; and a decoder, connected to said quantizing processor, for decoding said quantized signal, wherein said quantizing processor normalizes said demodulated signal according to the estimated fading of said received signal, and wherein said quantizing processor analyzes said received signal by calculating .THETA..sub.min and .THETA..sub.max values, wherein .THETA.[n].ident..vertline.Real{h[n]}.vertline.+.vertline.Imag{h[n]}.vertl ine., .THETA..sub.max .ident.Max.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and .THETA..sub.min .ident.Min.sub.n {.THETA.[n]}, and subsequently determining a desired RMS fade value from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n].

18. The receiver according to claim 17, wherein said quantizing processor calculates said desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- fade value is determined from said .THETA..sub.min, .THETA..sub.max, and .THETA.[n] according to a look-up table having .THETA..sub.max -.THETA..sub.min at its input and Desired.sub.-- RMS.sub.-- Fade at its output.